There was this comedy show back in the 80s called "I Married Dora" something about marrying his hispanic housekeeper or something. And to this day I remember the ending of the show so vividly. The family was going to board the plane, and couldn't get on. The last few lines were something along the lines of "Did our flight get cancelled? No, our show did!"
The end.
[quote name='strayfoxx']Best: The Shield, hands down. Even as a fan of The Wire, Season 7 of the Shield surpassed most seasons of David Simon's opus. It was magnificently done. The writing, acting, tension, and progressive build-up of 7 years of corruption.
Worst: Full House--Michelle falls off a ing horse?[/QUOTE]
Agreed on The Shield. Shocking but believable end to pretty much every storyline they had. The Shield was one of my favorite shows when it was on and the finale firmly cemented it as my favorite all time TV shows. Just plain brilliant.
The worst? Roseanne. No bigger FU to fans than to say "well,actually none of that actually happened and everyone's favorite character Dan (John Goodman) actually died a while ago." Granted that show was on the decline it's last few seasons but the finale really buried it. Nothing worse than when a sitcom gets too serious.
Another note on Battlestar related to what I was talking about before. If they'd ended it with the clip below being the last scene (as opposed to what came after), it would have been my favorite ending to a show I loved ever.
Should go without saying, but don't watch if you haven't watched BSG and ever plan to:
This may be how only I behave, but, during final seasons and series finales, I stop critiquing the series, and enjoy the ride. I invest so much time into these shows that critiquing the series finale seems somewhat counterproductive.
This applies to 'Lost', 'Battlestar Galatica', and 'The Sopranos', and other quality TV shows that have had their series finale episode belittled by crazed fans.
I enjoyed the series finale episodes to:
-Angel ("Let's get to work!")
-Buffy (Spike plus amulet equals amazing)
-The Shield (Perhaps one of the top three endings to a series)
-Lost (My favorite ending to any TV series--and I'm a huge Whedonverse fan)
-Boy Meets World (One of my favorites; everything came full-circle)
-Friends (Shut up; your face)
-Battlestar Galactica ("You know, I know about farming...")
-Scrubs ("You smell like a father figure.")
-The Sopranos (An abrupt end to an 'abrupt' character)
[quote name='Chase']This may be how only I behave, but, during final seasons and series finales, I stop critiquing the series, and enjoy the ride. I invest so much time into these shows that critiquing the series finale seems somewhat counterproductive.
[/QUOTE]
That's certainly a nice approach--wish I could do the same myself.
But to me the ending of a story is the crucial part, so if I don't like the ending it puts a damper on the whole thing.
Thus as I said, I'll just be very reluctant to watch any future serial dramas live as they air (wait until their complete and see if the feedback is great from start to finale).
And I will certainly never put the effort into following a show's mythos like I did with Lost.
Angel - I bought the final season DVD because I thought I missed the last episode. Come to find out I did not....the ending just sucked.
Other sort of ending was Kindred. This show was great (Vampires, Warewolves,etc), but after the first season ended the main star died in a motorcycle accident. Based on how the season one finished they could not figure out a way to continue the series.
[quote name='theblizzman']Angel - I bought the final season DVD because I thought I missed the last episode. Come to find out I did not....the ending just sucked.
[/QUOTE]
I like the ending of Angel because wasn't really a ending. Like Daft Punk, "Their work is never over."
Skipping all the posts in this thread because I don't want to be spoiled on anything I haven't seen...
I think Spongebob Squarepants needs to end like St. Elsewhere. The camera begins on Spongebob's pineapple house, slowly moving backward. The pan ultimately shows the entirety of Bikini Bottom, shimmering softly in the sunlight's rays beneath the ever changing water surface. A peaceful island ukulele plays out the show's theme in a jaunty, happy manner.
Slowly, the entire scene transforms from its cartoony facade into something realistic. It is a fish tank. At first it appears serene, well kept and glistening. Slowly we see it turn dank and dirty - mold grows upon the glass, the water becomes murky. We see a rotting pineapple amidst the bedrock, with a tiny Moai head statue - plastic - fallen over nearby. There is a close up of a sunken treasure chest, opening softly, yellow bubbles issuing forth. An upturned small fishbowl lies in the corner.
A quick pan shows Patchy the Pirate. He is a miserable creature. He stares into the fish tank with wide, red eyes. A close up of his arm shows several puncture wounds. Bits of acid lie strewn into his beard, which is half in decay and barely holding onto his flabby chin. We see him shaking incessantly. Softly, he sings the theme song, mumbling every word with tangled anguish. End.
You can make it more heinous. There could be a squirrel in the fishbowl, a plastic bag wrapped tightly around its neck, long dead and decaying. A starfish with multiple stab wounds lies plastered to the side of the tank. There is a single crab alive scuttling around, one of his claws missing and two legs broken.
It would be the best way to end a kid's show ever.
[quote name='WeaponX2099']I like the ending of Angel because wasn't really a ending. Like Daft Punk, "Their work is never over."[/QUOTE]
I agree. If Angel ever ended with an actual ending, it would go against and just flat out void all the talks of the prophecies that say, oh, the entire series was based off of.
[quote name='ajh2298']I think Alias went out very well.[/QUOTE]
I think Alias's ending for Sloan was similar to the ending for Vic in The Shield in that they both got what they thought they wanted but in reality was more of a punishment. For Sloan he gained the immortality he so desperately was seeking but it cost him being trapped underground forever and then there's Vic who got the immunity from prosecution and the nice federal law enforcement job at the cost of being stuck behind a desk with absolutely no way out.
Any fan of both series can't help but see the similarities. The "be careful what you wish for" and "you must pay for your crimes" messages presented in such a unique way are really what makes both such clever endings.
[quote name='HydroX']I agree. If Angel ever ended with an actual ending, it would go against and just flat out void all the talks of the prophecies that say, oh, the entire series was based off of.[/QUOTE]
While I'm not normally a fan of the "create your own adventure" open ended conclusion it really did work for Angel. Granted it wasn't that open ended because they set out to take out off the head of Wolfram and Hart and they did. I really don't think I would have bought it as well if it weren't for the ending dialogue though. That pretty much sold it.
Las Vegas. Due to a writer's strike the show ended on an incredibly cruel cliff hanger. I still demand they give us a proper closing season since everyone is still alive and kicking. It is highly unlikely they'll ever do so though.
Alas, I will have to wait until I perish from this mortal coil to view what could have been!
[quote name='blueweltall']Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Season 2 finale and eventually the series finale was the best. Season 2 was a slow cooker but the ending was amazing and jaw dropping! The show was very intelligent and surpassed anything I have seen for any sci-fi shows, this include Battlestar Galactica, Lost, etc. Season 3 would have owned all tv shows ever made.[/QUOTE]
That was a good season finale but not a series finale. It was to me a slap in the face if it was to be the series finale. John Connor does not exist, no one knows who Sarah is and Weaver is gone. Derek is leader or the resistance and has it out for John because he has on Kyle's jacket. Also the thing that I don't get is how the hell did they swap chips? How could Cameron take her chip out and JH put it in him. He would have to unplug to put it in and she could not function with out the chip. Someone else had to take it out of her and put it in him.
[quote name='keithp']I had forgotten about that one. Thanks for reminding me how much I hate Fox![/QUOTE]
I have not watched fox since that was on. When the show ended I changed the channel and my TV has never been on anything that says fox.
[quote name='DestroVega']can you really count shows that just end because they get canceled?
I say no, they didn't write an ending, so how can it be called one?
Just be mad the show ended without being properly written as such.
Reaper was my favorite new show 3 years ago, and it ended on a cliffhanger because they didn't know it was canceled at the time... how can I call it bad? they had no shot.[/QUOTE]
That is true. However don't some shows make a series finale if they have enough time when the find out the are getting canceled? Also how did Reaper end? I always liked that show but never really got a chance to watch it due to work.
[quote name='bvharris']Another note on Battlestar related to what I was talking about before. If they'd ended it with the clip below being the last scene (as opposed to what came after), it would have been my favorite ending to a show I loved ever.
Should go without saying, but don't watch if you haven't watched BSG and ever plan to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKDkxByrDP8
Beautiful.
[/QUOTE]
That is always how it ended for me. I always felt showing all that from our time was to much. Maybe if they did it different then it might have worked.
I have to say up till the point where they showed our time in BSG it was really good however I have to say I liked the series finale to Mash the most. "GOODBYE" spelled out in rocks when Hawkeye flew off was a nice message to fans. Sure it was from BJ to him because they were really good friends and that Hawkeye didn't want it to end like it did with him and Trapper. It was also a nice message to the fans.
+1 to everyone mentioning TNG. Season 7 was a weak one, but my God, what a perfect finale for the series. It was absolutely perfect. You come up with a great paradox to provide your Sci-Fi in the show, while enabling Tasha Yar and Chief O'Brien to show up to delight the fans. They end the series the way it started, with Q testing humanity. Perfect in every way possible.
[quote name='Strell']Long post about screwed up ending to Spongebob Squarepants[/QUOTE] The kids would be petrified.
[quote name='WeaponX2099']Good with little to No explanation:
1) Arrested Development
2) Buffy
3) Angel
4) Newhart- Classic.
5)St. Elsewhere. A mind ending that technically still has impact on TV shows on now.
6)Star Trek:TNG
7)JLU
8) Scrubs.
9) The Fugitive- Watched it when the movie came out and it was great years later.
Worst Endings:
1) My name is Earl- Not their fault, I hate ending on a chiffhanger
2)Seinfeld.
3) Roseanne- Sucked ass.[/QUOTE]
how can Angel be on this list when the ending was just a "season ending" and in no way tied the whole series together?
Hell, I'm STILL pissed about the way that show was just canned being the highest rated show on the network and I was just really starting to get into it.... such potential down the crapper, but Bone's is good so I guess i'm less bitter
[quote name='grrouchie']how can Angel be on this list when the ending was just a "season ending" and in no way tied the whole series together?
Hell, I'm STILL pissed about the way that show was just canned being the highest rated show on the network and I was just really starting to get into it.... such potential down the crapper, but Bone's is good so I guess i'm less bitter[/QUOTE]
The Sopranos was pretty unique i have to say, ended by going black. 1st i have to say it was an amazing show, by the end i felt like part of their family, and even though i knew how it was going to end cause i had heard about it when i was younger, (watched the whole show within the past few months), it was still good and it gave closure but at the same time it didnt. ( i also heard that many people when watching the finale live had called in to their cable providers cause they thought they lost their connections lol)
one show i was really disappointed about was Terminator: SCC, they had a pretty good season ending to get the next season going but the show got canceled.
Prison break had a terrible ending only because it should have ended so much earlier, but it was an alrite ending but the show it self had dragged on too long which kinda took away from the ending. another show that i feel needed to end long ago is one tree hill. used to watch it in high school when it first started, and once those people finished high school, and then maybe the season 5 was decent but after that they should have ended the show.
I watch a lot of tv, but the majority of shows i watch are still going on.
have not watched the last season of lost yet, got half way through the season, and decided to wait for the rest to release and watch them in a nice marathon, honestly the best way to watch lost is in season marathons.
I didn't really like the Sopranos ending or the final season for that matter. They spent too long with Tony in the hospital and then tried cram everything into the last five episodes. This is coming from someone who loved the show and watched it from the very beginning I felt it really started going downhill after the fourth season.
[quote name='RedvsBlue']Agreed on The Shield. Shocking but believable end to pretty much every storyline they had. The Shield was one of my favorite shows when it was on and the finale firmly cemented it as my favorite all time TV shows. Just plain brilliant.
The worst? Roseanne. No bigger FU to fans than to say "well,actually none of that actually happened and everyone's favorite character Dan (John Goodman) actually died a while ago." Granted that show was on the decline it's last few seasons but the finale really buried it. Nothing worse than when a sitcom gets too serious.[/QUOTE]
Haha when you put Rosanne that way, it sure does sound a lot like the LOST finale and the flash sideways crap and Jack being dead...
I wish Family Matters had gotten a series finale, but the show was just cancelled. I saw this comming tho, due to the fact that the last 2 season weren't about the family, & just Urkel doing crazy shit. All the last episode led you to believe was that Urkel & Laura would marry in the next season.
Thank god someone mentioned Six Feet Under. Absolutely fantastic ending - after watching the whole run on DVD, I cried like a ing baby when the finale ended.
[quote name='sendme']I some what hated The Sopranos series finale. Were they all killed or was it the daughter walking in.
As for Dinosaurs didn't a volcano erupt and they all went extinct?[/QUOTE]
Sopranos was along the lines of this.
Several of the men in the diner were rumored to be guys from Tony's past who wanted him dead. Tony earlier in the season stated that death comes from you at any time and it comes silent when you least expect it. I am paraphrasing. Meadow being unable to park the car leaves a clear shot without anybody in the way since Tony was on the inside of the booth. The show was through Tony's eyes/perspective and when the music stops/screen goes black you assume that he was killed.
[quote name='kingkc']oh yeah i forgot about, The Black Donellys, that show was alrite, the ending was ok. but i have to say the pilot of that show was amazzzing.
[/QUOTE]
That show would have been so much better on a cable network like FX or TNT. NBC was far too limiting for a mafia type show and it sucks the series ended on a cliffhanger. I think it should be a rule that a show can not end it's first season with a cliffhanger unless its already picked up for a second season. It would reduce the amount of ireful fans.
[quote name='wildcpac']I do not believe the show was given a proper finale. All I remember is that the Lindsay lied to the parents about what she was doing for the summer and was really following The Greatful Dead around.
IMDB list the last episode #18 being shown during the summer of 2000. NBC showed the season out of order according to IMDB where episodes 14 and 15 where shown in October of 2000.[/QUOTE]
NBC didn't air all 18. About 1/3rd of the episodes didn't air until FOX FAMILY (now ABC Family) picked the show up later. NBC even skipped the 4th episode "KAREN KELLY IS MY FRIEND" which introduced Busy Phillips character.
I loved Freaks & Geeks and often wish that we had a chance to visit with them some more. So sad. The show did not have a "finale". The cliffhanger was a season finale, but NBC canned it.
To clarify MARRIED WITH CHILDREN: The episode that aired as the "SERIES FINALE" was a season finale. FOX canceled the show and didn't give the creators a chance to make an actual finale. They instead just aired the season finale (the wedding one) and said it was the last episode.
[quote name='GuilewasNK']I forgot, Justice League Unlimited had an awesome finale as well.[/QUOTE]
The season 4 (or 2, whatever) finale kicked ass. I think the only reason season 5 (or 3, whatever) existed was because it could. It wasn't a bad way to end the series, but season 4 was where it was at.
[quote name='Chuplayer']The season 4 (or 2, whatever) finale kicked ass. I think the only reason season 5 (or 3, whatever) existed was because it could. It wasn't a bad way to end the series, but season 4 was where it was at.[/QUOTE]
Yes, the "BATMAN BEYOND" Justice League Unlimited finale was so awesome. "EPILOGUE"
Almost makes me wish they never bothered with a 5th Season, as much as I loved the show. Season 4's bookend was just too perfect.
[quote name='VintageTurtle']Las Vegas. Due to a writer's strike the show ended on an incredibly cruel cliff hanger. I still demand they give us a proper closing season since everyone is still alive and kicking. [/QUOTE]
Agreed. I really love CSI Las Vegas and that ending really seemed different from the normal shows theme and endings. But, comedies like Monk and Carol Burnettt show is more my game but I did use to like Dexter but find that it is too predictable that each season has one villain...boring...But, Dexter as an actor is very charismatic and I did enjoy him in "Gamer" where he was really good as the software guy villain.
After Grissom left CSI show then i find it hard to watch it since i miss his dry humour and the new guy simply hasn't been able to fill his shoes, so to speak.
[quote name='MrNEWZ']Yes, the "BATMAN BEYOND" Justice League Unlimited finale was so awesome. "EPILOGUE"
Almost makes me wish they never bothered with a 5th Season, as much as I loved the show. Season 4's bookend was just too perfect.[/QUOTE]
I agree with that. That single episode did an exceptional job of resolving the Batman Beyond storyline and capping off the DCAU as a whole.
The ending for Avatar: The Last Airbender also did a fantastic job of tying up most loose ends, while providing some of the most beautifully animated fighting sequences I've seen (the Zuko/Azula one was masterful).
ing horse?[/QUOTE]
I very vaguely remember that from my childhood. I was 7 at the time. Did she regain her memory? I'm pretty sure she did, I can't remember though.
